100 ways to use beer in food and drink

Independence Day has come and gone, and my mind continues to believe that the weekend flew by and we’re back at the beginning of the week. Quite the troubles… But fear not, the weekend is almost here again, and this time it’s a true weekend. And I have a drink for those of you who enjoy a sweet summertime beverage.

On the fourth, I decided to try out a drink on my list. I’ve had summer shandys made from actual breweries, but I wanted to make my own with homebrew. For the sweet half, all I had available was pink lemonade. My dad cringed as I explained to him what I was drinking. I was also skeptical, but the summer shandy I made was indeed refreshing for a hot day.

The beer Scrooges out there are scowling and saying something like “this guy is ruining beer.” To you I say, stop reading and go sniff your own flatulence. I thought the Dark IPA had a few similar qualities to an iced tea and the bitterness and malty flavor would go well with lemonade. It did. This isn’t something I’d have all the time, but when it’s a billion degrees out and you need a refreshing drink—it hits the spot while giving the boost of alcohol that we all enjoy.

Dark IPA Summer Shandy

To all you naysayers out there: you lose! Yet again I accomplish both #8 and #9 of my quest to use beer in 100 different dishes. This time, I wanted to make something versatile, that could go with various meals, so I opted for a pesto that is amped up with flavor of a black and tan beer….plus beer-infused garlic, so I knock two items off the list.

Hopefully you realize that black and tan is a reference to a mix of two tasty and contrasting beers. The mix of beers varies depending on where you get it and from whom, but is generally a dark beer with a pale ale or lager. This time, I used Yuengling’s version: a mix of their porter and their premium beer. I was hoping the porter part of this would bring out the nutty flavor of the pine nuts, but because it’s only half porter, wouldn’t turn the pesto dark.

The black and tan did bring out the pine nuts, while also giving the pesto a bit of the bite when mixed with the garlic. I put one slice of sun-dried tomato in the mix and it lent a very subtle taste that again, I believe was brought out by the beer. I served this as a snack on toast, topped with a slice of sun-dried tomato. Then, for dinner we put it on our burgers, along with the beer-infused ketchup! OR you can make an open-faced tuna sandwich and top it off with some pesto (see above). You’re welcome.

Beer-Infused Garlic

With summer grilling season upon us, I thought the time was due to introduce a beer condiment to the mix. When thinking what the best would be for the holiday, one of my favorite condiments came to mind: ketchup. This staple condiment is found in nearly everyone’s kitchen, and is welcomed to various meals ranging from burgers and fries to scrambled eggs in the morning.

Why not complement your craft beer (still not giving up on my “anti-big-beer campaign”) and burger/hot dog with a beer infused ketchup? Beer has a tang that complements the flavors of the ketchup, while also giving it a crisp, refreshing aftertaste. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any homebrew available other than my berry wheat, so I chose Yuengling Lager.

After forming a base with tomato paste, vinegar, beer, and brown sugar, I started experimenting with other spices in the cabinet. I ended up with a consistency similar to that of Heinz and a taste that was just a little bit sweeter than what I wanted (maybe less brown sugar next time?). But the beer did give the ketchup a bit of a kick to it, and an aftertaste that left a hint of lager with you.

Things are getting fast and furious in Endless Simmer’s quest to use beer in 100 different dishes. After an off-list detour for Corona cupcakes, we’re back this week and crossing three items off the agenda: beer cornbread, beer-marinated pork, and chocolate beer milkshakes!

Last week, I embarked on a beerfeast of epic proportions. My plans consisted of a four-course meal; each course cooked with beer and paired with a different beer. I got through my week mostly by dreaming up the menu: pork loin marinated in an IPA, mashed potatoes with a brown ale gravy, cornbread with a wheat beer, and milk stout milkshakes.

When the end of the week finally came around (and the drinking began) the menu got downsized a bit, quickly falling from a beerfeast to a dinner with some things made of beer, but not all the beers I wanted to make them with. The pork ended up being marinated in a brown ale, which the friend who brewed it proudly called a “piece of shit.” Mashed potatoes and gravy didn’t even happen, after I asked another drunken pal to peel potatoes and found that ending horribly wrong.

Fortunately, I made the cornbread in advance, and when I reached my peak in drunkenness later on in the night, I was still well able to whip up the milk stout shakes. And of course, while we were beginning our beveraging, we did brew an IPA. So in the end, I still had a fairly epic beer dinner, reaching a new record of three items from my beholden list.